U.S. patent application number 10/997520 was filed with the patent office on 2006-05-25 for system and method for selling on-line and off-line advertising in content delivered to a display screen.
This patent application is currently assigned to Microsoft Corporation. Invention is credited to Michael Steven Cooper, William Hill, David Salesin.
Application Number | 20060111970 10/997520 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36462041 |
Filed Date | 2006-05-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060111970 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hill; William ; et
al. |
May 25, 2006 |
System and method for selling on-line and off-line advertising in
content delivered to a display screen
Abstract
A method for selling on-screen advertising based on the relative
page percentage an advertisement consumes on a paginated page
displayed on a user's display. The invention includes a payment
model for on-screen advertising based on "eyeball space" and
placement. In one embodiment, paginated adaptable pages with
advertising panes are authored and adaptable advertisements are
created to fit the advertising panes. Advertisements are then sold
based in part on a percentage of on-screen display space they
occupy.
Inventors: |
Hill; William; (Carnation,
WA) ; Cooper; Michael Steven; (Mercer Island, WA)
; Salesin; David; (Seattle, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MICROSOFT CORPORATION;C/O LYON & HARR, LLP
300 ESPLANADE DRIVE
SUITE 800
OXNARD
CA
93036
US
|
Assignee: |
Microsoft Corporation
Redmond
WA
98052
|
Family ID: |
36462041 |
Appl. No.: |
10/997520 |
Filed: |
November 24, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/14.52 ;
705/14.61; 705/14.69 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0254 20130101;
G06Q 30/02 20130101; G06Q 30/0264 20130101; G06Q 30/0273
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/014 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/00 20060101
G06Q030/00 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method of selling on-screen advertising,
comprising the process actions of: authoring adaptable paginated
pages for on-screen display wherein the paginated pages can be
adapted to a user's display size and wherein the paginated pages
comprise one or more advertising panes for receiving an
advertisement; creating adaptable advertisements for placement in
said advertising panes in said adaptable paginated pages; and
pricing said advertisements embedded in said advertising panes of
said paginated pages and formatted to fit a user's on-screen
display based on the percentage of the paginated page size the
embedded advertisement covers.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the advertisements are
self-modifying so that an advertisement embedded in a paginated
page changes to a different advertisement each time the user
accesses said paginated page.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the self-modifying advertisements
are stored in a database which the user can access via a
control.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the cost of said advertisements is
based on percentage of the paginated page size and how often an
advertisement is modified.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the cost of said advertisements is
based on percentage of the paginated page size and adjacency to a
specified type of document content.
6. The method of claim 2 wherein the cost of said advertisement is
based on the percentage of paginated page size and frequency each
advertisement is shown.
7. The method of claim 3 wherein the cost of said advertisement is
based on the percentage of paginated page size and the location in
a document that the advertisement is displayed.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein usage statistics are collected to
determine how often an advertisement is viewed.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein said usage statistics comprise
on-screen page size comprising a user's display's orientation,
resolution and selected page size.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein said usage statistics comprise
font size comprising user selected font size which may cause the
advertisement's font size to change to improve readability.
11. The method of claim 8 wherein said usage statistics comprise
standard advertisement sizes comprising an agreed upon set of
standard page and fractional page sizes that agencies develop
advertisements to.
12. The method of claim 8 wherein said usage statistics comprise
available advertisements by size.
13. The method of claim 8 wherein said usage statistics comprise
the sequence in which advertisements are to be displayed based on
the publication sales agreement.
14. The method of claim 8 wherein said usage statistics comprise
the number of times an advertisement is shown and at what page size
it was shown.
15. The method of claim 8 wherein said usage statistics comprise
the number of times a self-modifying advertisement is shown.
16. The method of claim 8 wherein said usage statistics comprise
the number of times an advertisement is used in different
publications.
17. The method of claim 8 wherein said usage statistics comprise
the number of times an advertisement is used in multiple issues of
the same publication.
18. The method of claim 8 wherein said usage statistics comprise
the number of times an advertisement is used on-line versus the
number of times and advertisement is used in an off-line
publication version.
19. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable
instructions for performing the method recited in claim 1.
20. A method of selling on-screen advertising, comprising the
process actions of: authoring adaptable paginated pages for
on-screen display wherein the paginated pages can be adapted to a
user's display size and wherein the paginated pages comprise one or
more advertising panes for receiving an advertisement; creating
adaptable advertisements for placement in said advertising panes in
said adaptable paginated pages; and pricing said advertisements
embedded in said advertising panes of said paginated pages and
formatted to fit a user's on-screen display based on the percentage
of the paginated page size the embedded advertisement covers.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] This invention is directed toward a system and method for
selling on-line and off-line advertising. More particularly, this
invention is directed toward a system and method for selling
on-line and off-line advertising in content delivered to a
screen.
[0003] 2. Background Art
[0004] A huge global print advertising business has grown up over
the centuries based on the concept that advertisers pay to have
information about their products and services included in
publications like newspapers, magazines and so on. In the print
world, advertisements are sold based on a size, position, color and
circulation basis with rates determined by any combination of these
factors. Since it is difficult to know specifically what stories
will be published on a given date in advance, newspapers have used
their layout and advertisers' confidence in the fact that stories
are laid out based on importance and currency in each section to
pick a specific page or section for their advertisement. An
excellent example is the New York Times where the inside cover page
of the first section provides advertisement spaces next to a news
summary which is printed in the same location every day. This
advertisement placement is referred to as "position" by print ad
sales people. Often there are only very specific positions and the
rest of the advertisements are placed within a section as
requested.
[0005] The business model of print advertising is that one pays for
a percentage of the size of the publication in which the
advertisement appears--full-page, two-page, or half-page
advertisement, for example. One really pays for a proportion of
"eyeball space" or a portion of each displayed set of paginated
content. In a magazine, a full-page advertisement takes up the
entire area of one of the pages (obviously). Less obvious is that a
full-page ad on a two-page spread takes up 50% of "eyeball space".
However, a full-page advertisement on the back page of a magazine
is only one page but it takes up 100% of eyeball space. There is
also a cost scale depending on the actual page on which the
advertisement appears. For example, an advertisement on page 2 of a
magazine (overleaf from the front page, or one opposite the Table
of Contents page) is more valuable than the same advertisement on
another page further inside the publication. A two-page spread
advertisement which occupies the exact center of the publication-so
there is no fold to cause registration mismatches between both
pages--is more valuable than a two-page spread which has a fold. In
a newspaper, an advertisement which appears on the front page
(where space is scarce, but readers will always visit because the
most important stories are featured there) is much more valuable
(and hence more highly priced) than an advertisement of the same
area inside. In addition, advertisements are normally placed where
the advertisement will reach its intended audience. For example, an
advertiser would want an advertisement for, say, his beer, to go in
the same section of the paper that potential beer-drinking
customers (say, football fans) would be expected to read.
[0006] It can be seen from this that there is a "hierarchy of
desirability" based not only on eyeball space but on the content
associated with an advertisement. Over many years, advertisers,
publishers and advertising agencies have turned this into very
familiar ground, with a payment model based on "eyeball space" and
placement.
[0007] The web has traditionally used a tree-like navigation model
where links can run to completion, then requiring reverse
navigation or a jump back to the home page. This has caused most
web sites to be designed with a home page that has a significant
amount of space dedicated to navigation, some of which may persist
across links to facilitate jumps. What is missing in the
traditional web page configuration is the page turning experience
which implies a linear layout of the content even though it may be
navigated by referring back to a Table of Contents. There is a
significant difference in the way web content is read when compared
to reading in traditional print. The web is not read, it is
browsed. Some pages change as they are being read in the hopes that
this change will attract the browser's attention. This approach has
been taken in most web-based advertising leading to dissatisfaction
and users learning to tune out change because it is
distracting.
[0008] In addition to the problems discussed with website
navigation, content displayed on a screen is difficult to read.
Since its inception, the Web has used HTML to allow people to read
and create documents (a website is really a complex "document").
Since the length of a document is not fixed, the crude solution
that the Web's original creators decided upon was to have documents
in a scrolling window; the window was thus created to be as long as
the document. Scrolling is a terrible thing to do to human beings
who are trying to read. Print designers, authors and printers have
taken hundreds of years to develop a combination of optimum line
length, typeface, type size, margins, page size and so on to make
it easy for people to read. These parameters were optimized for
human beings so as to prevent the reader from mistakenly reading
the same line twice, which interrupts the flow of reading. With the
scrolling window design lines are often read twice.
[0009] The Web also presents a very unfamiliar advertising model
which has raised many questions. How does a Web banner ad, or a
pop-up, compare with a full-page advertisement in a magazine? How
should the cost compare?
[0010] One key issue which causes problems in advertising on the
Web is that on the traditional Web there is no such thing as a
"page" (e.g., a web "page" is not really a page, it is a scrolling
window, as already pointed out). It could be any size, depending on
the device on which it is being viewed and the size to which the
window in which it appears has been stretched or shrunk (often
arbitrarily scaled by the reader). As a result, even though Web
advertising is growing steadily, much of the traditional print
advertising has not transitioned. Banner ads and pop-ups are seen
as distracting (which they are at the deepest level of human
perception because the motion they generate within the human field
of vision functions as an interruption). In print advertising,
however, not only are advertisements more within the reader's
control because one can always decide to page past them (and they
are thus not seen in the same light) but they allow much more
flexibility of design expression, to the extent that advertisements
in print (especially magazines) are attractive and desirable
features. Indeed in some types of publication, people buy the
magazine as much for the advertisements as for the written content.
It is believed that publishers, advertisers and agencies would get
on board with on-line or on-screen advertising if someone came up
with a business model closer to the print model they totally
understand.
[0011] Another issue with web or Internet advertising is that the
text and graphics for a high-quality online advertisement are
likely so large that it is painful for readers with low bandwidth
Internet connections to download. However, since broadband Internet
access is accelerating rapidly, this issue will be less
important.
[0012] In print, partial page ads can be sold with adjacency to a
specific story or section. A two page layout offers a full page
advertisement opposite an edit page. Adjacencies run on the same
page or opposite an edit page and are visible while the page is
visible. In contrast, in traditional (non-paginated) web-based
documents adjacency exists with respect to specific stories which
are typically nodes on a branch of a document tree which are
accessed via the home page or contents page or by navigating
through the tree structure. Adjacencies can be scrolled off screen
as the user reads down. Even when the continuation of a story goes
to a new "page" the pages are longer than the screen and the ads
scroll away as one reads.
[0013] Standard sizes in print allow agencies to create
advertisements that can be used in multiple magazines.
Advertisements are measured as a function of page size which is the
standard increment. In traditional web-based advertising, attempts
have been made to standardize sizes but the size may not be the
same for each user. User selected font size and screen resolution
determine user experience. Browsers allow font control but changing
the font size typically has no effect on advertisements. Someone
who has difficulty reading print and chooses to increase font size
typically gets no benefit within the advertisement. Font changes
can also cause an advertisement to lose its adjacency and be far
below the bottom line of text in a story.
[0014] In print, color works well and color advertisements cost
more. Color differentiates advertisement content from editorial
content in most magazines, although color is not as common in
newspapers due to cost. Color works equally well in web-based
on-screen advertising and color does not typically increase
advertisement cost. However, color used in advertisements on the
web does not differentiate from editorial content as much as in
print because of the wider use of color on the web.
[0015] Interaction with the reader in print is limited to the
publication of addresses, telephone numbers and web addresses for
user directed follow-up. On the web it is possible to enable links
to a site for direct sales. It is also possible to show product and
option variability so that a consumer can see the product as they
would prefer it. For example, changing the color of a car in an
advertisement so the user can see if he likes it is possible.
Motion and flashing are frequently used, as well as "pop under" and
"pop over" windows.
[0016] An advertisement in print can be repeated in multiple issues
and even on multiple pages within an issue; even though the latter
is uncommon. In web-based advertising, advertisements can be
repeated frequently within a single session or across multiple
sessions of web browsing. Sales models can differ based on
navigation rather than pagination.
[0017] In print, modifications are made by re-working an original
advertisement and resubmitting it for a future publication date. In
web-based advertising the concept of self-modifying advertisements
based on a resident database and tracking of passages across
advertisement space is possible.
[0018] A paginated Internet or web, one that displays whole
paginated pages, can offer the advantages of print advertising and
the interaction that web users expect. A few websites (The
International Herald Tribune, for example) have played with the
concept of pagination on the Web. However, they use it only to
paginate stories, not their whole site, which would be far more
difficult. None of the known websites have been able to tie
advertising to paginated content, because the reflow necessary to
paginate is relatively straightforward for text-only content
(stories) but much harder when graphics are also included.
SUMMARY
[0019] The system and method of the present invention overcomes the
aforementioned limitations of previous on-screen advertising
schemes employed on the Internet or Web, or in other electronic
publications or documents, by delivering paginated on-screen pages
that adapt based on various display and window sizes and allow for
the anchoring and sizing of advertisements based on a given
relative page size. Document content is reflowed to fit around the
advertisements.
[0020] The system and method according to the invention includes an
application that allows for the pagination of screen content which
adapts to a user's computing device's display. In one embodiment,
for example, this is done by a browser with pagination and adaptive
document templates. The application also provides for the ability
to anchor advertisements to the paginated pages and stories. In one
embodiment of the invention advertising panes in which to place an
advertisement are left within a paginated page of the on-screen
content. Paginated pages, as referred to herein, are differentiated
from scrolling windows, and are the result of dividing an
electronic document into pages similar to that that would be used
in a printed document.
[0021] The invention also includes a method for selling on-screen
advertising based on the relative page percentage an advertisement
consumes on a paginated page displayed on a user's display. In
general, the invention includes a payment model for on-screen
advertising based on "eyeball space" and placement. In one
embodiment, paginated adaptable pages with advertising panes are
authored and adaptable advertisements are created to fit the
advertising panes. Advertisements are then sold based in part on a
percentage of on screen display space they occupy. In another
embodiment of the system and method according to the invention,
advertisements are sold from a database in one or more sizes priced
based on size and other factors, such as, for example, adjacency,
frequency and "modification". Space can also be sold based on size
and story association rather than adjacency. An association with a
story can be determined by a specific story identified in a list of
current stories or based on user navigation sequence. In one
embodiment usage statistics can be gathered and factored into
advertisement pricing.
[0022] In addition to the just described benefits, other advantages
of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed
description which follows hereinafter when taken in conjunction
with the drawing figures which accompany it.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] The specific features, aspects, and advantages of the
invention will become better understood with regard to the
following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings
where:
[0024] FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting a general purpose computing
device constituting an exemplary system for implementing the
invention.
[0025] FIG. 2 is a schematic of one embodiment of a stand-alone
advertising system according to the invention.
[0026] FIG. 3 is a schematic of an embodiment of an on-line
server-client advertising system according to the invention.
[0027] FIG. 4 is a schematic of an embodiment of an on-line
advertising system according to the invention that employs an
advertisement server.
[0028] FIG. 5 is a schematic of an embodiment of an off-line
advertising system according to the invention.
[0029] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of the operation of one embodiment
of the invention.
[0030] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the on-screen
advertising sales method according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0031] In the following description of the preferred embodiments of
the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying
drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of
illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be
practiced. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized
and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope
of the present invention.
1.0 Exemplary Operating Environment
[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a suitable computing system
environment 100 on which the invention may be implemented. The
computing system environment 100 is only one example of a suitable
computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation
as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention. Neither
should the computing environment 100 be interpreted as having any
dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of
components illustrated in the exemplary operating environment
100.
[0033] The invention is operational with numerous other general
purpose or special purpose computing system environments or
configurations. Examples of well known computing systems,
environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use
with the invention include, but are not limited to, personal
computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices,
multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top
boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs,
minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing
environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and
the like.
[0034] The invention may be described in the general context of
computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being
executed by a computer. Generally, program modules include
routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that
perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data
types. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing
environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices
that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed
computing environment, program modules may be located in both local
and remote computer storage media including memory storage
devices.
[0035] With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary system for
implementing the invention includes a general purpose computing
device in the form of a computer 110. Components of computer 110
may include, but are not limited to, a processing unit 120, a
system memory 130, and a system bus 121 that couples various system
components including the system memory to the processing unit 120.
The system bus 121 may be any of several types of bus structures
including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and
a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of
example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry
Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA)
bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards
Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI) bus also known as Mezzanine bus.
[0036] Computer 110 typically includes a variety of computer
readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media
that can be accessed by computer 110 and includes both volatile and
nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of
example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise
computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage
media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and
non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for
storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data
structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media
includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or
other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or
other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,
magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any
other medium which can be used to store the desired information and
which can be accessed by computer 110. Communication media
typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures,
program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a
carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any
information delivery media. The term "modulated data signal" means
a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed
in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of
example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired
media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and
wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless
media. Combinations of the any of the above should also be included
within the scope of computer readable media.
[0037] The system memory 130 includes computer storage media in the
form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory
(ROM) 131 and random access memory (RAM) 132. A basic input/output
system 133 (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to
transfer information between elements within computer 110, such as
during start-up, is typically stored in ROM 131. RAM 132 typically
contains data and/or program modules that are immediately
accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit
120. By way of example, and not limitation, FIG. 1 illustrates
operating system 134, application programs 135, other program
modules 136, and program data 137.
[0038] The computer 110 may also include other
removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage
media. By way of example only, FIG. 1 illustrates a hard disk drive
141 that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile
magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 151 that reads from or writes
to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 152, and an optical disk
drive 155 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile
optical disk 156 such as a CD ROM or other optical media. Other
removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage
media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment
include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash
memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid
state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive 141
is typically connected to the system bus 121 through anon-removable
memory interface such as interface 140, and magnetic disk drive 151
and optical disk drive 155 are typically connected to the system
bus 121 by a removable memory interface, such as interface 150.
[0039] The drives and their associated computer storage media
discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 1, provide storage of
computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules
and other data for the computer 110. In FIG. 1, for example, hard
disk drive 141 is illustrated as storing operating system 144,
application programs 145, other program modules 146, and program
data 147. Note that these components can either be the same as or
different from operating system 134, application programs 135,
other program modules 136, and program data 137. Operating system
144, application programs 145, other program modules 146, and
program data 147 are given different numbers here to illustrate
that, at a minimum, they are different copies. A user may enter
commands and information into the computer 110 through input
devices such as a keyboard 162 and pointing device 161, commonly
referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Other input devices
(not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite
dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often
connected to the processing unit 120 through a user input interface
160 that is coupled to the system bus 121, but may be connected by
other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game
port or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor 191 or other type
of display device is also connected to the system bus 121 via an
interface, such as a video interface 190. In addition to the
monitor, computers may also include other peripheral output devices
such as speakers 197 and printer 196, which may be connected
through an output peripheral interface 195. Of particular
significance to the present invention, a camera 163 (such as a
digital/electronic still or video camera, or film/photographic
scanner) capable of capturing a sequence of images 164 can also be
included as an input device to the personal computer 110. Further,
while just one camera is depicted, multiple cameras could be
included as an input device to the personal computer 110. The
images 164 from the one or more cameras are input into the computer
110 via an appropriate camera interface 165. This interface 165 is
connected to the system bus 121, thereby allowing the images to be
routed to and stored in the RAM 132, or one of the other data
storage devices associated with the computer 110. However, it is
noted that image data can be input into the computer 110 from any
of the aforementioned computer-readable media as well, without
requiring the use of the camera 163.
[0040] The computer 110 may operate in a networked environment
using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as
a remote computer 180. The remote computer 180 may be a personal
computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other
common network node, and typically includes many or all of the
elements described above relative to the computer 110, although
only a memory storage device 181 has been illustrated in FIG. 1.
The logical connections depicted in FIG. 1 include a local area
network (LAN) 171 and a wide area network (WAN) 173, but may also
include other networks. Such networking environments are
commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks,
intranets and the Internet.
[0041] When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 110
is connected to the LAN 171 through a network interface or adapter
170. When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 110
typically includes a modem 172 or other means for establishing
communications over the WAN 173, such as the Internet. The modem
172, which may be internal or external, may be connected to the
system bus 121 via the user input interface 160, or other
appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, program modules
depicted relative to the computer 110, or portions thereof, may be
stored in the remote memory storage device. By way of example, and
not limitation, FIG. 1 illustrates remote application programs 185
as residing on memory device 181. It will be appreciated that the
network connections shown are exemplary and other means of
establishing a communications link between the computers may be
used.
[0042] The exemplary operating environment having now been
discussed, the remaining parts of this description section will be
devoted to a description of the program modules embodying the
invention.
2.0 System for On-Line and Off-Line Advertising in Content
Delivered to a Display.
[0043] The system and method according to the invention provides
paginated on-screen pages that adapt based on a user's display size
and allow for the anchoring and sizing of advertisements based on a
given paginated page size. Document content is reflowed to fit
around the advertisements.
[0044] 2.1 System Description.
[0045] The system employs an adaptive layout technology to present
advertisements for paginated on-screen content. The system also
allows the advertisements to be resized to always retain the same
fraction of screen real estate regardless of the screen size of the
device on which the content and advertisements are displayed. The
system of the invention further provides for the ability to anchor
advertisements to documents and to nest advertisements in
advertising panes within a paginated page displayed on a user's
screen.
[0046] An exemplary schematic of one embodiment of the invention is
shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the system includes a
computing device 202. The computing device 202 has an authoring
tool 204 to author paginated whole pages for on-screen display
wherein the size of the page and document placement can be adjusted
to a user's display. In one embodiment of the invention these
paginated whole pages are created by employing a set of adaptive
layout templates. The set of adaptive layout templates are
configurable in a range of different page sizes and viewing
conditions and include various element types and constraint-based
relationships that define the layout of elements with reference to
viewing conditions under which the document content will be
displayed and other content properties. The document authoring tool
204 also provides for the ability to designate advertising panes
within a paginated page in which advertisements are to be placed.
These advertising panes can be defined, for example, as a half of
the page, a quarter of the page or a full page.
[0047] The computing device 202 also has an advertisement authoring
tool 210 that is capable of authoring advertisements that can adapt
to a given allocated advertisement pane. In one embodiment of the
invention the advertising authoring tool 210 can employ adaptive
advertisement templates to create advertisements to fit in the
various allotted advertising panes. The computing device 202 can
also include a renderer 214 that is capable of rendering the
advertisements nested in the advertising panes and rendering of the
paginated document content around the advertisements. It should be
noted that the adaptive document authoring tool used to author the
paginated pages and the adaptive advertisement authoring tool could
be hosted on separate computing devices instead of the same one.
One or both would be accessed by computing device 202 depending on
which authoring tool or tools are not resident on the computing
device 202.
[0048] In another embodiment of the system, shown in FIG. 3, the
computing device takes the form of a server which is accessible by
other computing devices (i.e., clients) over a computer network
such as an intranet or the Internet. The server 318 uses the pages
and advertising to generate an electronic document, publication or
web page with integrated advertising which is sent to one or more
clients 316a . . . 316n for display. The server 318 interrogates
each client 316 to determine its display parameters, such as screen
size and resolution. The server 318 then instructs the document
authoring tool 304 to generate the appropriate document layout
(including advertisement panes) and insert the paginated document
content and provide it to the server. The server 318 then instructs
the advertisement authoring tool 310 to generate advertisement
content to fit in the advertising panes of the page layout
generated by the authoring tool 304 and provide it to the server
318. The server 318 then sends the paginated document content and
advertisement content inserted in the advertising panes of the page
layout to the client 316 for display.
[0049] In an alternate embodiment, shown in FIG. 4, a separate
advertisement server 422 is employed that sends the advertisements
to the client 416 for placement in the advertisement panes, while a
separate server, such as server 418, is used to provide the
document content and page layout. The other components of this
embodiment operate as described in FIG. 3. However, the server 418
sends the client's display specifications and the size of the
advertising panes to the advertisement server 422 so the
advertisement server can format the advertisements to fit the
advertising panes on the client's display. In addition, the client
computing device is configured to insert the advertisements in the
advertising panes and formats the page for display on the client's
display.
[0050] In another embodiment of the system, the aforementioned
computing device of FIG. 2 takes the form of a client device
connected to a computer network. As shown in FIG. 5, in this
embodiment a server is not used to actively manage the document
content and advertisements, rather the client computing device 502
performs the page generating functions described above. More
particularly, a client computing device 502 is used to create
paginated on-screen content and advertisements as described in FIG.
2. The screen content and advertisements can either be downloaded
from a server 524 or provided directly to the client 502 on a
storage medium 518. An application 526 on the client 502 extracts
the screen content and advertisements from the storage medium 518
and lays out the screen content and advertisements on the client's
display using a document authoring tool 504 and an advertising
document tool 510 as described above. This typically is done by
employing an adaptive document application stored on the client 502
that is cognizant of the screen size and parameters, and determines
the document layout and what size advertisement should be used. The
client 502 then renders and displays the advertisement and document
content based on the computed adapted page size and advertising
panes (as described previously).
[0051] As shown in FIG. 6, in operation the system initially inputs
the document and advertising content process action 602). Adaptable
paginated pages with advertising panes are then determined (process
action 604). Adaptable advertisements are created (process action
606). The user's display parameters are retrieved and used to lay
out the paginated pages and adaptable advertisements for the user's
screen (process action 608). The adapted paginated pages and
advertisements are then rendered on the user's display, as shown in
process action 610.
[0052] The following paragraphs provide additional details on the
features of the invention.
[0053] 2.2 Paginated Adaptable Screen Layouts.
[0054] As described above, the system and method according to the
invention includes an application to create paginated adaptable
screen layouts to be formatted to receive advertisements. These
adaptable screen layouts provide for the ability to anchor
advertisements to pages or stories (e.g., page 2 is full-page ad;
another advertisement is a half-page on the second page of this
sports story, and so on). An appropriate adaptive document layout
application can be employed to create these paginated adaptable
screen layouts. One such application is the adaptive grid-based
document layout described in a co-pending patent application
entitled "System and Methods for Facilitating Adaptive Grid-Based
Document Layout" which was filed on Jan. 30, 2004 and assigned Ser.
No. 10/768,993. This adaptive grid-based document layout technique
encodes a set of adaptive templates that are configurable in a
range of different page sizes and viewing conditions. The templates
include various element types and constraint-based relationships
that define the layout of elements with reference to viewing
conditions under which the document content will be displayed and
other content properties. Through a layout engine and paginator,
the adaptive grid-based document layout described in the co-pending
patent application determines a desirable sequence of templates for
use for adapting document content. The adaptive grid-based document
layout described in the co-pending patent application also provides
a template authoring tool and user interface for interactively
drawing and arranging layout elements within a new adaptive
template.
[0055] 2.3 Adaptable Templates for Advertisements.
[0056] The system and method according to the invention also
provides for an application with the ability to create adaptive
advertisements for insertion in the aforementioned advertising
panes. This application resizes an advertisement to fit within the
space designated on the screen for it, such as the advertising
panes discussed above. Several advertisement templates can be
stored so that an appropriately sized advertisement can be placed
in a designated advertisement pane. This application not only
resizes the advertisement for its intended space, but also can
remove some of the advertisement's content to fit, for example, on
a Pocket PC. Most desktop/laptop configurations only require
re-sizing within reasonably-constrained parameters. The adaptive
advertisement templates can already be authored with various
conventional applications, such as Adobe In-Design or Quark Xpress
and can be converted if necessary for use in a given publication.
For example, in one embodiment of the invention Quark Xpress was
used to create advertisements which included advertisement
templates. The advertisement templates were then separated from the
advertisement content. The separated advertisement templates were
then used in conjunction with re-flowed advertisement content.
[0057] 2.4 Nested Templates with Inheritance.
[0058] The authoring tool of the system and method according to the
invention also provides the ability to nest templates, with
inheritance. That is, an advertisement can be nested in the
advertisement pane of an adaptive layout template. For example, a
half-page advertisement is an adaptive template stored as an object
in the "magazine" adaptive document template. It inherits the "page
size" from a client's browser and re-sizes the advertisement
template and the magazine page accordingly.
[0059] In one embodiment of the system and method according to the
invention, an adaptive layout system described in a co-pending
patent application entitled "System and Methods for Adaptive
Document Layout Via Manifold Content" which was filed on May 30,
2002 and assigned Ser. No. 10/159,627 is employed for the purpose
of nesting advertisements. This adaptive document layout system and
method allows manifold representations of content--that is,
multiple versions of anything that might appear in a document,
whether it be text, graphics, images, or even such things as
stylistic conventions or user interface controls. This content is
then selected and formatted dynamically to fit the viewing
situation--that is, the display device being used, as well as,
potentially, any additional preferences or constraints, such as the
preferences of the reader (for example, for a large-text display or
for a summary view), or constraints on the available computing
power or bandwidth.
[0060] The adaptive document layout system and method described in
co-pending application Ser. No. 10/159,627 creates a representation
for this manifold content, to include advertisements, one that is
flexible enough to represent multiple versions of all possible
types of content that might appear in a document, namely a document
tree. An authoring system is provided for manipulating this
content, with a user interface that makes handling all of these
multifarious versions natural and straight forward. Additionally, a
layout engine is provided that adapts and formats a document's
manifold content automatically, in real time. The adaptive document
layout system and method automatically formats the versions of
content to fit a given display. For example, the display may be a
hand-held device; a wide-screen display or a standard computer
monitor. In laying out the adaptive document, attributes associated
with each version of alternate content are utilized. These include
attributes concerning page size, column size, page coverage and
figure size. In the most general sense, when laying out the
document, the document tree and a rectangular region (e.g.,
advertising pane) wherein the content is to be displayed is input
into the system. A document tree is traversed and appropriate
layout engines are called when document content nodes are
encountered to determine the size of a pane within the rectangular
region. Once the pane sizes are determined for each content node,
the content is rendered in each pane. It should be noted, however,
that the shape of the advertisement pane could also be other than
rectangular and the invention is not limited to this shape.
[0061] To render each pane, the pane size, alternate versions of
content, and attributes of the content to be rendered are input
into the system. Each version of text content is evaluated to find
the best line breaking solution for each version of alternate
content, providing a text breaking goodness score for each version.
Each version of image content is also evaluated to find the best
figure placement solution, providing a figure layout goodness score
for each version of figure placement. The best combinations of
alternate versions of text and figure content using a layout
goodness score are based on the text line breaking and figure
layout goodness scores. The text and figure combination with the
best layout goodness score is then rendered in the pane.
[0062] 2.5 Advertisement Layers.
[0063] In addition to the features of the invention discussed
above, one embodiment provides the ability to build the
advertisement itself with "layers" where text and graphics are
separate. Graphics are stored as GIF (for example), scaled to size,
while text is laid out using adaptive and flow technology. This has
the advantage of, for example, allowing text to be scaled
independently of the graphic on which it is overlaid. Text and
graphics cannot be scaled using the same algorithms; graphics can
be scaled linearly, but experience over two decades has shown that
text cannot be scaled linearly. An entire programming language has
evolved to support a concept referred to as "font hinting" to
support the required non-linear scaling. Advertising today is often
created as GIF graphics which include text as part of the whole
bitmap. When such advertisements are scaled, the text suffers badly
from the linear scaling applied to the whole graphic and a marked
decrease in text quality and readability results. In addition to
supporting non-linear scaling of text, text layered upon a graphic
but kept separate can also be scaled differently for other
reasons--for example, to accommodate readers with visual
impairments; i.e. a version of the advertisement which equates to
"large print" versions of printed matter. Advertisements are also
able to contain live links, video, and so on. In one embodiment
advertisements are described in XAML. In another embodiment,
layered text is moved or scaled such that it is always displayed
against a portion of the graphic that acts as a suitable
background. For example, white text is reflowed so that it is
displayed against a dark portion of the image, making it more
legible. The specific rules for how to move the text to take into
account the background graphic can be encoded in the adaptive
advertisement layout template.
[0064] 2.6 Advertisement Repeat Algorithm.
[0065] In one embodiment of the invention, an advertisement repeat
algorithm is employed each time a page is displayed which can cause
a given (e.g., highest priced) advertisement to be repeated before
another (e.g. lower priced) advertisement is seen for the first
time. Various conventional advertisement repeat algorithms can be
used for this purpose. In an example with four advertisements, each
in a different price category the sequence could be something like
1,2,1,3,1,2,4 . . . which gives ad position 1 three viewings out of
seven. Furthermore, algorithms can be expressed as a separate set
of rules managed by a publisher and embedded in the ad template or
the magazine template. Other examples could be a set of preferences
expressed by the reader, or determined by analyzing reader
interaction with prior ads.
[0066] 2.7 Self-Modifying Advertisements.
[0067] In another embodiment of the invention, self-modifying
advertisements can present different content in the same "place"
within a paginated document and can be used separately or in
conjunction with the previously discussed advertisement repeat
algorithm. Where fixed advertising is used, certain placements are
viewed frequently in the course of reading a paginated document.
The most obvious example would be an advertisement adjacent to the
Table of Contents (TOC) in a magazine. Each time a reader refers
back to the TOC, the advertisement is seen. A self-modifying
advertisement placed in this position offers the additional value
of showing different items offered by the same advertiser each time
the reader pages to or through the advertisement. For example, the
catalog clothing seller Lands' End advertises seasonal apparel in
advertisements in The New Yorker. These advertisements are usually
partial page and contain a picture of a single item from the
catalog with a reference number that can be used to call to order
or for use on the Lands' End web site or in the print catalog. If
this advertisement is passed frequently, rotating different items
of apparel creates a larger number of opportunities to catch a
particular reader's attention than constantly showing the same item
which may have been unconsciously dismissed by the reader. By
changing the item, there is an increased chance of making a "hit"
with any single reader. The rotated items come from a small
database behind the advertisement. There can also be a control
within the advertisement to allow a reader to see all of the items
in the event that she/he wants to take action on an item that has
already been shown and replaced. This approach increases the value
of a partial advertisement placed in a position that is frequently
passed or accessed.
[0068] 2.8 Off-Line versus On-line Advertisements.
[0069] As mentioned previously, one embodiment of the invention
provides an off-line configuration. Off-line advertisements require
a thoughtful approach since advertisements are costly when compared
to the basic content of a publication. The cost of an advertisement
in an online document is related to the contribution it makes to
the overall file size, the bandwidth required to download it, and
the file space required to store it. In print, color advertisements
cost more to print than the black and white text, and this is
factored into the ad pricing and has no impact on the reader. In
the case of an electronic periodical (ePeriodical), a periodical
distributed on electronic media or via a network, or other
on-screen content, the cost affects the download size/time to both
the publisher and the consumer so care must be taken not to
inconvenience the reader. In one embodiment of the invention
download time is reduced via client side advertisement caching. In
this embodiment an application manages advertisement content on the
client side so that an intelligent download system can tell whether
the advertisement is already present on the reader's machine and
not re-download it. This approach gives even greater value to the
self-modifying advertisements described above because they can be
reused for a longer timeframe across multiple issues of a
publication or in multiple publications.
[0070] In another embodiment of the invention, it is possible for a
user in an off-line situation to click on a link in the
advertisement to order the goods in question just as if--or almost
as if--the user were on-line. In this case the user can be taken to
a web page that was also downloaded to be available off-line, and
that looks just like the on-line page when he activates the link in
the advertisement. The user is able to fill out all the fields on
an order form and is essentially able to place the order right then
and there, while still off-line. When internet connectivity is
present again, the filled-out form is sent back to the company
placing the advertisement automatically, in the background, without
any further action required of the user.
[0071] On-line advertisements can utilize all current web streaming
technologies. Corresponding off-line alternatives to a web site
have a placeholder or non-streaming ad equivalent. If the source of
the "off-line version" is the on-line version then advertisements
are replaced when the off-line version is created at download
time.
3.0 Method for Selling On-Line and Off-Line Advertising in Content
Delivered to a Display Screen.
[0072] 3.1 Overview.
[0073] In general, the invention includes a payment model for
on-screen advertising based on "eyeball space" and placement. In
one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, paginated adaptable pages with
advertising panes are authored (process action 702) and adaptable
advertisements are created to fit the advertising panes (process
action 704). Advertisements are then sold based in part on a
percentage of on screen display space they occupy (process action
706).
[0074] In another embodiment of the system and method according to
the invention, advertisements are sold from a database in one or
more sizes priced based on size and other factors, such as, for
example, adjacency, frequency and "modification". Space can also be
sold based on size and story association rather than adjacency. An
association with a story can be determined by a specific story
identified in a list of current stories or based on user navigation
sequence. In this embodiment advertisements are served from a
database at a different server from the document or editorial
content. This database can be managed for example, by the publisher
or the ad agency and advertiser. In this configuration, the story
and ad are typically laid out for the user's screen once the user
navigates to the beginning of a story. For example, ad position "1"
corresponds to an adjacency to the first story the user navigates
to from the home page. Ad position "2" corresponds to the second
story that a user navigates to either from the home page, table of
contents or a navigation bar.
[0075] Since any advertisement can be placed next to or on the same
page as any story, the screen layout is not determined until the
user picks a story and the advertising server assigns an
advertisement. The advertisement's size may be fixed to the page
size determined by the user's screen window and the text wrapped
around the ad. If the story spans multiple pages the database may
repeat the advertisement on all pages of a story or place
additional advertisements on each subsequent page. Mixing multiple
ads on a single page may also be done.
[0076] The publishers of a publication typically determine what
spaces and their associated (price) category are available for sale
and price each space based on perceived value. In one embodiment
this is substantiated by collecting usage data. Advertisements that
are sold in a specific category are placed by a server (e.g., the
ad server) and the page is created around the advertisement. If
there is no advertisement in the database for a specific category,
one from a higher priced category can be used as a bonus to that
advertiser assuming the contractual commitment has been met. An
alternative embodiment promotes an advertisement from a lesser
category which the advertiser will likely see as a "bonus" or
"upgrade."
[0077] 3.2 Advertisement Preference Statistics.
[0078] With paginated content there is a relationship between the
screen size and the perceived value of the advertisement,
especially if in the process of adapting the advertisement, its
content is somehow diminished. As the screen size or window is
reduced, the number of pages for a fixed size story increases, thus
providing an opportunity for additional placements within a given
story. If the same advertisement is repeated and thereby associated
with the story, the increased frequency of view may offset the
reduced overall size. Of course the relative size should remain
constant on any page size. One quarter page will still be one
quarter page regardless of page size. This is where adaptive layout
contributes to a successful advertising experience. The
advertisement size dictates the text layout and as the page size
changes, the advertisement itself adapts within its relative
boundary. Advertisers can be provided with exact advertisement size
viewing data if desired.
[0079] Since advertisements can be served from a database,
interaction statistics can be collected and advertisement
preferences inferred for use with alternative business models. In
an "off-line" mode, the viewer will store interaction data and
upload it to the advertisement server when the editorial content is
updated.
[0080] Some of the variables that can be tracked for one embodiment
are: 1) on-screen page size, 2) font size, 3) standard ad sizes, 4)
available ads by size, 5) run sequence, 6) interactions, 7) serve
count, 8) multi-use, 9) multi publications, 10) consecutive repeat
use sale, and 11) on-line vs. off-line versions. These variables
are outlined in Table 1. TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 User Preference
Variables Tracked Variable Definition On-screen The user's
orientation, resolution and selected page size page size Font size
User selected font size which may cause the advertisement font size
to change to improve readability Standard An agreed upon set of
standard page and fractional advertisement page sizes that agencies
develop to. sizes Available A list of advertisements and the sizes
available in advertisements to fit an adaptive page layout. by size
Run sequence The sequence in which advertisements are to be
displayed based on the publication sales agreement. Interactions
Data collected by the viewer when off-line and by the web site when
on-line regarding the user interactions with individual ads. Serve
count The number of times an advertisement is shown and at what
page size it was shown. Multi-use A self modifying advertisement
that substitutes product images in a single framework. Serves as a
mini catalog for e-commerce. Multi Sharing the same advertisement
in a local file for publications use by more than one publication
to reduce download time. Multi-magazine publishers like Conde and
Time might sell packages using the same advertisement in multiple
magazines. Could also be used independently of the publishers as a
form of "ad compression." Consecutive Use of the same advertisement
in multiple issues of repeat use the same magazine. Especially
meaningful for weeklies. sale The advertisement could be sold to
appear for four consecutive weeks and left on the users' machine to
reduce download overhead. On-line vs. Creation of and tracking of
an on-line and off-line off-line version of the same advertisement.
Streaming media is versions not available off-line, however a
static substitute may be created and used in the off-line version.
This will require separate creative and the ability to substitute
on the fly as a user takes content off-line. Publisher will have to
report usage of both versions.
[0081] In addition to selling and tracking the above, publishers
are responsible for making additional decisions including, number
of ad slots per unit of measure (page, story, etc.), rotation
pattern tied to fee structure, hardware and user driven layout,
allowable file sizes and display technologies supported. The system
solution includes a method to upload statistics from off-line users
and merge them with statistics acquired from on-line users to
provide a full picture to each advertiser.
[0082] The foregoing description of the invention has been
presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is
not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the
precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are
possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the
scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description,
but rather by the claims appended hereto.
* * * * *